Really? Eight gigs is about two week's worth of unrepeated music for me, if played 8 hours a day. It's not a lot of video though, but I think it's a lot more than most people can stand to watch on such a small screen.

Really? Eight gigs is about two week's worth of unrepeated music for me, if played 8 hours a day. It's not a lot of video though, but I think it's a lot more than most people can stand to watch on such a small screen.

Apple's "fatboy" iPod nano may be retired after only a year on the market to make way for a new generation of the player that will mark a return of the narrow form factor used in the first two generations of the device.

Citing "extremely confident" sources, iLounge reports the new player will retain its traditional click-wheel while sporting an elongated display with the same 1.5:1 widescreen aspect ratio as the iPhone and iPod touch, versus the 1.33:1 ratio of the prior iPod nano and iPod classic.

This will leave the player looking like, among all other things, one of Microsoft's existing Flash-based Zune players, those sources say. Apple is said to have made the move in order to preserve all of the fatboy nano's usability, while adding longer display that will allow users to rotate the device into landscape mode for viewing videos.

While iLounge is not a traditional source of insider information, it does have close ties to iPod and iPhone casing manufacturers who are sometimes privy to the dimensions of Apple's next-generation handheld devices ahead of their release.

By releasing those dimensions early, Apple affords those manufacturers ample time to develop and bring to market casings and protective holders around the same time that it introduces its remodeled handheld products.

An artist's rendition of what may be Apple's next-gen iPod nano design. | Source : iLounge.

As such, iLounge is largely credited as being one of the few publications to accurately describe the form factor of Apple's iPhone 3G handset before its public unveiling.

In its report late Tuesday, the publication also cited sources who indicated that recent rumors of next-generation iPod nanos adopting multi-colored enclosures are "most likely inaccurate."

Instead, each fourth-generation iPod nano is will more likely sport a single-colored anodized aluminum frame akin to the second-generation of the players introduced in the fall of 2006.

I personally don't see apple revamping the Nano with an elongated display. Nano knockoffs from China with elongated displays that look almost identical to the artist rendition of the supposed 4th Gen Nano have been on eBay for over a year now. Just search for MP4 Nano. Apple (although, without a perfect track record) is know for innovation and forward thinking so a Nano makeover that "copies from a copy" seems very lazy. Let's hope they roll out with something closer to the touch screen Nano idea instead. [IMG][/IMG]

Nano Touch - with a scaled down feature set compared to the iPhone and iPod Touch. The Nano will be (is already?) the new iPod - eg music player pretty much exclusively, sans internet connectivity. This will naturally exclude a large number of apps. I think the form factor will be like a scaled down Touch.

Look at that Nano 3G screen: it's too squashed horizontally (the menu overlaps the album cover). The 4G Nano needs to be wider, not taller.

And there's the problem someone else mentioned with the purported 4G Nano of the click wheel having the text (and buttons) in the wrong location when you turn it on its side to watch video. Apple would never do that, would they?

No, rather than a super tall Nano 4G, I think it's going to be super w-i-d-e. Turn the photo from the original article on its side, then rotate the click wheel 90º. Now you've got a super w-i-d-e Nano 4G. You can view the menu and the album side-by-side without overlapping. And you can view video that way.

Really? Eight gigs is about two week's worth of unrepeated music for me, if played 8 hours a day. It's not a lot of video though, but I think it's a lot more than most people can stand to watch on such a small screen.

It's not a matter of watching - it's a matter of what in can hold. Put a full concert on it and your memory's almost gone.

It's not a matter of watching - it's a matter of what in can hold. Put a full concert on it and your memory's almost gone.

How long is a concert these days? One hour of iPod format video is about 700MB. That should be about 10 hours of video if video is all you put on it. If it's a three hour concert, then you still have 5 to 6 GB left.

It's doubtful as it would have to be GPS, have a limited A-GPS that relies only on WiFi, or include GPRS for free like with the Amazon Kindle. None of those sound like good options to me and it takes away from Apple's baby, the iPhone.

So then give it a camera.
BTW - not everyone gives a hoot about GPS- especially us in cities without cars.
And I personally don't want Steve to know where I am.

Given the iPhone and the iPod Touch, this design should have been the obvious evolution of the previous generation, incl. the iPod.

I think that the. current design/form factor -- esp. the phatty -- was a mistake, and, perhaps to some degree, explains the slowdown in sales growth rate.

I offered up the same sentiment on these boards shortly after the phatty was released and was laughed at. I'd love to see the breakdown of iPod sales by model. Analysts have noted that the average price per iPod over the last year has gone up, and they point to sales of the expensive touch model as a reason why. But I also think it's due to a decline (or rather a smaller increase) in sales of the nano relative to overall sales. Whether it be on the train to work, in the office, or at the gym, I've seen very, very few phat nanos in the wild.

This new rumored design is what I thought would be the 3G nano long before they unveild the wide design. It just seemed obvious, but maybe they changed the design after the Zune came out so as to not look like they were copying MS? If they go to this new design wtihout adding any significant new features, it will be a pretty clear indication that phatty sales aren't what they'd hoped for. You don't change form factors after just one year unless: A) you have new features you are implementing, or B) you are correcting a deficiency.

It just looks like a 1G and 2G nano, which the Zune team borrowed the shape from.

Because the zune turns sideways for video, which the ipods never did.

I have always liked the "fatty" ipod way better than previous models. I think the nano is too small for touchscreen, not to mention that many use it in sporty situations where actual buttons are handy.

And some people seem to think that nano sales have slumped, is there any real data showing that? I always got the impression that the nano sold pretty darn well, but ALL ipods have dropped a bit as more and more people get iPhones (or at least touches) instead.

How stupid. If you rotate for landscape mode, the click wheel will no longer match. Probably fake photos.

That is just an artist's rendition in the iLounge image.

Didn't Apple have a patent for making the click-wheel a display? If not, I'd think it would be pretty easy to achieve with OLED technology. You turn it and as the screen rotates the OLED change to show you the different view.

edit:How much we forget in two weeks. This patent also adds credence to the glass touchpads that are rumoured to be coming out with the next revision.

Didn't Apple have a patent for making the click-wheel a display? If not, I'd think it would be pretty easy to achieve with OLED technology. You turn it and as the screen rotates the OLED change to show you the different view.

edit:How much we forget in two weeks. This patent also adds credence to the glass touchpads that are rumoured to be coming out with the next revision.

me and others who bought iPhone 3G will be p**sed off... no iPhone nano pls thanks!

next iPhone upgrade should be next year June

Why would it piss you off?? Let's face it Apple needs more than one form factor of iPhone. A smaller less capable device would still attract a great deal of interest. Maybe not from me as I'm looking for an iPhone revision that is actually a tax bigger. Even if Aplle came out with such I would not be pissed off.

Rather I would be please that Apple is innovating.

I do have to ask if you expect Apple to never introduce a new form factor model? If not why would what they introduce in the coming months be off any concern to you?

I have to say though, I think a portable music player needs to have some way to control it with tactile buttons.

It looks like the patent maintains the same feel on the current iPods with click-wheels but just makes the top panel a simple display so the info can change. I recall not understanding what they could do with a click-wheel display, but the idea of putting and accelerometer in the new Nano makes this patent useful.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

He is referring to the HW that outputs the audio and he has a case. The smaller iPods have never faired well in "audiophilic" testing.

Well, except for the original white ("pack of gum") shuffle. Many considered that to have the best sound of all the iPods released so far. My 2nd gen shuffle is definitely a step down in audio quality.

2nd Gen Nano was a lot easier to use than the 3rd gen one due to it's shape.

I sure hope that the new Nano does NOT use a touch screen, that would be a very bad thing for that form factor. Touch screens are cool, but you need to be able to use the controls while exercising without looking at the device, and without breaking stride. I love my iPod touch, but it's the wrong device for that use, even if it was smaller.

Using the clickwheel when the iPod is rotated is a lot easier than some of you seem to think. When I use my 160Gb iPod classic, I always have on my belt, rotated 90 degrees. I've never had an issue using the clickwheel with it rotated.

Come to think of it, a real improvement in the Nano would be to use the tactile control from the shuffle in the form factor of the 2nd Gen Nano. The smaller control would easily allow for a longer screen, and make it even better for use when exercising.

Look at that Nano 3G screen: it's too squashed horizontally (the menu overlaps the album cover). The 4G Nano needs to be wider, not taller.

And there's the problem someone else mentioned with the purported 4G Nano of the click wheel having the text (and buttons) in the wrong location when you turn it on its side to watch video. Apple would never do that, would they?

No, rather than a super tall Nano 4G, I think it's going to be super w-i-d-e. Turn the photo from the original article on its side, then rotate the click wheel 90º. Now you've got a super w-i-d-e Nano 4G. You can view the menu and the album side-by-side without overlapping. And you can view video that way.

But it will store in your shirt pocket vertically, of course.

Doesn't that make more sense?

Makes sense to me. Just take the image from the article and rotate the iPod and the clickwheel 90 degrees. Then it all makes sense.

hmmm... I still think the click-wheel will go away, but we'll see.
As for orientation, that's trivial. The function of any particular click is just a software mapping. If the accellerometer (sp?) detects a 90 degree switch, then the function of the clickwheel rotate as well. Of course that would mean no markings on the clickwheel itself.

Or a backlit clickwheel as mentioned in my earlier post. I think the mini will retain the clickwheel in order to differentiate it from the iPod Touch. All screen mini would be nice but Apple would prefer you buy an iPod Touch or an iPhone for this purpose.

It's going to be a touch interface with a few real buttons for those of us who use it to exercise with. It will be a much more simplified interface than the iphone. Here's a mockup.

Actually that looks quite nice. I could see apple drop the clickwheel for that. The wheel is essentially there to allow for scrolling which is performed more intuitively by the iPhone's interface. Retains some physical buttons. I like.

Well, except for the original white ("pack of gum") shuffle. Many considered that to have the best sound of all the iPods released so far. My 2nd gen shuffle is definitely a step down in audio quality.

Thanks for reminding me- I have to pull mine out again. That pack of gum shuffle rocks!

Or a backlit clickwheel as mentioned in my earlier post. I think the mini will retain the clickwheel in order to differentiate it from the iPod Touch. All screen mini would be nice but Apple would prefer you buy an iPod Touch or an iPhone for this purpose.

It's going to be a touch interface with a few real buttons for those of us who use it to exercise with. It will be a much more simplified interface than the iphone. Here's a mockup.

If you're going that direction then they'll likely do this:

While yours doesn't look bad. I wouldn't say they'd release it.

No need for a home button (as there's no home screen). Software based back buttons instead. A play pause button for sports, and double tapping it advances to the next track. No silent/ringer switch, obviously. New external volume buttons, and they are moved up to the position where the iPhone's silent/ringer switch is.

More than a non-illuminatable click-wheel? Sure. Expensive? Not necessarily. If they do expect you to rotate the device for watching videos they will have to make the buttons change to accommodate landscape view.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

More than a non-illuminatable click-wheel? Sure. Expensive? Not necessarily. If they do expect you to rotate the device for watching videos they will have to make the buttons change to accommodate landscape view.

You and a lot of others. I kinda feel a nano touch would be a good thing, and I don't agree that the OS couldn't be tweaked for the smaller screen. There's a bunch of really small devices out there.

That said, I don't actually think it'll happen though. Wish it would as I really dislike the 4th gen mock ups going around.....

The biggest complaint about the "fatty" Nano was the uncomfortable fit for the hand. The older style was much better for gym to quickly grab and use. You didn't have to feel over it because the shape was a clear indicator. One of the biggest complaints about the iPhone (overall) is the lack of tactile controls. This can't be helped right now. As much as i love my iPhone I do miss being able to keep the device in my pocket (simply not looking at it) while adjusting what is playing. The iPhone's double-click the headphone mic to jump to the next song is nice, but not a replacement for the being about to navigate the menu deftly. For that reason I don't think it will be lost until proper tactile response system through electrical impulses is available.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

The only problem I see with the 4G mockups going around are the problems posed to those that are left-handed; Apple's been able to make the iPod nano hand-generic (if that makes sense :P). What if you rotated it so the clickwheel was in your left hand, not your right? Then the screen would be upside down! Would there be an accelerometer to detect the rotation orientation? I'm not sure how this is going to work...

The only problem I see with the 4G mockups going around are the problems posed to those that are left-handed; Apple's been able to make the iPod nano hand-generic (if that makes sense :P). What if you rotated it so the clickwheel was in your left hand, not your right? Then the screen would be upside down! Would there be an accelerometer to detect the rotation orientation? I'm not sure how this is going to work...

The iPhone can be rotated to either landscape side. The only reason i see Apple not allowing this is that the clickwheel navigation images are only viewable from two rotations, not three.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"